So there I was, last night, flicking between 8 Out of 10 Cats and Traffic Cops – trusty bag of Cool Original Doritos by my side – when this comes on:
So we have a talking platypus extolling the virtues of modern day banking, for First Direct – why?
How did this happen? There is zero link – not even the most tenuous one – between First Direct and a platypus.
It’s as if the creative team working on it had no idea how to crack the brief and just said ‘erm… a walking, talking, platypus?‘ and the client said ‘yeah, I like it!’
…and yet it kind of works. In fact, it’s bloody brilliant and I’m not even sure why.
This scares me. Is the next big thing, in advertising and marketing, ideas that have nothing to do with anything, yet work?
If that’s the case, how can you ever tell if you’ve struck gold with an idea?
By and large, I now work with SMEs and try to avoid the ‘whacky’ label at all costs i.e if you’re a copywriter / creative type, you’ll try to put a hopping bear (or something similar) into a client’s marketing for no particular reason.
I actually present some of my more boring/effective ideas first and my creative ideas second.
Now I’m just confused – should I start slipping a platypus into every brief, no rhyme or reason? Maybe that’s where I’m going wrong…
Anyway, pats on the back to the team behind the First Direct work. I’m baffled by it, but it works.